Talk about seasonal creep. Halloween candy already shows up in stores during the summer, and Christmas decorations appear before the kids go trick-or-treating. So why not start back-to-school shopping before many school years have even ended?
It’s only June, and depending where you are in the country, school only recently let out or is still in session. But that’s not stopping many parents from planning ahead and stocking up.
A new survey from TeacherLists has found that 20% of families plan to begin their back-to-school shopping in June, nearly double the number who said so just two years ago.
“While July and August remain peak shopping months, the steady rise in June activity signals a meaningful shift toward earlier planning behavior,” TeacherLists noted.
Parents had already shifted their shopping earlier last year. By mid-July of 2025, the National Retail Federation found that two-thirds of back-to-school shoppers had already begun purchasing items for the upcoming school year. That was up from slightly over half who said so a year earlier, and the earliest overall start that the NRF had found in the eight years it’s been tracking early shopping.
“Consumers are being mindful of the potential impacts of tariffs and inflation on back-to-school items, and have turned to early shopping, discount stores and summer sales for savings on school essentials,” NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen said back then.
And the same could be said today – prices may be up, but many parents are worried they might rise even further between now and late summer. The TeacherLists survey found that 59% of parents associate back-to-school shopping with being stressful, financially challenging, or something they dread.
But won’t early shoppers miss out on all the back-to-school deals? Not necessarily. Early-starting summer sales events have many back-to-school shoppers eyeing June as the perfect time to stock up.
Amazon’s Prime Day is in June this year, up from its traditional July slot. And where Prime Day goes, Walmart Deals and Target Circle Deal Days typically follow. Amazon says it moved the event earlier in the calendar this year so shoppers can take advantage of deals before big summertime events like Independence Day and the World Cup.
And you can add back-to-school to that list. Shoppers pinched by rising prices throughout the year are increasingly looking to Prime Day and its competitors to stock up on necessities rather than splurging on luxuries. And this year, shoppers will be looking for more than party snacks and cookout supplies.
Last year, the NRF found that 82% of back-to-school shoppers “were planning around July sales to shop specifically for items for the upcoming school year.” So it makes sense that earlier Amazon, Walmart and Target sales events have shoppers looking to stock up on back-to-school supplies earlier.
Circana, too, found that back-to-school shopping seemed to be starting earlier and earlier. “The early shifts in purchase behavior highlight the consumer’s current spending concerns,” Circana noted last year, in comments that still resonate today. “Whether they are waiting for better promotions, opting for different brands, or buying larger or smaller pack sizes, consumers are looking for ways to cut their costs without foregoing school supply necessities.”
Kids may be ready to turn off their brains and get a rest from the classroom right about now. But learning how to time purchases to save money could turn out to be one of the most important lessons they’ll learn this summer.
Image source: Target
